Writing my way around New England

Best News All Day 5-5-13

Another slush storm on the way? Who cares?! The beautiful weather and budding fauna of spring are just weeks away. Think positive.

— NH Chief Justice Linda Dalianis speaks with the Nashua Telegraph about budgets and court closings. She mentioned 32 full-time court positions are being cut, replaced with 66 part-time positions. She also was not optimistic about the courts’ budget outlook or the underfunded e-Court Project. She said, “The vagaries of the budget process being what they are, I don’t know how his will all turn out in the end.”

— Portsmouth City Council go a lot of work done last night, including a meh response to an outdoor ice rink at Strawbery Banke and an agreement to develop the Worth parking lot, aka the Whale Wall lot. This is where a parking garage had been proposed, but the neighbors pressured the council to nix the idea. Just to be clear, said Councilor Tony Coviello, this is not an attempt to bring back the Worth Lot garage idea through a back door, though some councilors totally thought it was.

— The NH Dental Society doesn’t want the state to expand laws authorizing dental technicians to do more complicated procedures. They make their case in the Concord Monitor today. I’ve done some research on this issue recently and I think it’s an interesting debate.

— For your political fix, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, head of the DNC, will be headlining the Dem’s 100 Club Dinner on April 6.

— Also in national politics, everyone is SO EXCITED!!! about Jeb Bush and his book and his hints. The question everyone around here should be asking is when is he coming to New Hampshire? And will he consider headlining a fundraiser for the NHGOP?